Practical advice on commercial lighting from LED retrofits to lighting design.

Color rendering index (CRI) goes hand in hand with color temperature when you’re trying to pick the right lighting for your application.

California’s Energy Code is nothing new. More commonly called Title 24 – the set of energy standards for new and upgraded buildings has been around since 1978. But even though it’s decades old, the strict regulations continue to be a difficult road for businesses to navigate, particularly when it comes to commissioning.

This is the second post in our series on choosing the right color characteristics for your lighting project. Last time we addressed color temperature, but maybe the most critical issue — which has surfaced with the popularity of LED lighting — is color consistency. How do you know that the color of your lighting will be consistent from one product to another? Let’s dive in. 

We are wrapping up our series on selecting color temperature and color rendering index for your lighting. In this article, I’d like to give a little insight into how we think as lighting designers and what that means for you. 

There’s no doubt that advancements in LED lighting over the past few years are staggering, as is the number of product options that have made their way to market. In fact, the very thing that makes LEDs so exciting to a lighting designer are also what makes things so difficult for us each time we specify a new product – so many options.

I get asked all the time what the right color temperature and color rendering index (CRI) should be for various applications. Although there are rules of thumb that typically provide a positive outcome, color can be so subjective. With LED, your options have become almost limitless. So selecting the right color for your application can be pretty overwhelming. 

When California's Title 24 regulations became more stringent last year, there was widespread confusion among those in the construction industry. Everyone was trying to determine if the code applied to their projects and how. Yet, the waters around the standards were pretty murky, as they so often are with new building regulations. 

Let’s review what Title 24 is – shoring up some of the confusion still in the water today while addressing some newer questions which are beginning to emerge.

What do you think of when you hear the phrase "lighting design?" Our lighting design team has prepared a few simple retail lighting design tips to help make your retail store look better. In fact, dialing-in your lighting may help make your store more attractive to your customers.